Birkoff Confused About Whether to Prepay or Just Pump Gas

Birkoff, when asked to "fill up" the mission van at a Texaco gas station last Tuesday evening, wasn't sure if he was supposed to prepay or pump the gas and then pay. "I kept looking around the island for a sign," reported Birkoff, "but there wasn't one. There were no instructions telling me how to proceed." A very confused Birkoff hesitated for a few minutes, walking part way to the Texaco Food Mart where one can purchase a variety of snack food items while paying for gasoline at the same time. Birkoff decided to incorporate his Section training and think "outside the box." "I didn't want to walk all the way over to the cashier in the Food Mart and then find out that I didn't have to prepay," said Birkoff. Birkoff, after trying the pump and finding that nothing registered on the pump screen, ascertained that he needed to pay first.

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